The Sons of Katie Elder

"First, we reunite, then find Ma and Pa's killer...then read some reviews."

Monday, April 23, 2012

Ride Beyond Vengeance

Though he starred in over 40 films and countless TV shows as a star and guest star, I'll always think of Chuck Connors
as The Rifleman, Lucas McCain, the single father who raised his son
Mark on their small New Mexico ranch. I'm a huge fan of the show and not
surprisingly, Connors. He parlayed his success into other shows and
movies, but he always seemed quite at home in the western, like 1966's
B-western Ride Beyond Vengeance.

After 11 years away from his wife trying to earn as much cash as
possible, buffalo hunter Jonas Trapp (Connors) returns home to Coldiron,
Texas with $17,000 in his saddlebags. As he nears the town, he's
ambushed by three townspeople, Brooks Durham (Michael Rennie), the rich banker, Elwood Coates (Claude Akins), the drunken, deranged cowboy, and Johnsy Boy Hood (Bill Bixby),
who scar him with a brand on his chest and steal his money, leaving him
for dead. Jonas continues on, dead set on getting his money back and
finding his wife, Jessie (Kathryn Hays),
at the same time. Jonas finds Jessie is in love with Durham (thinking
him long since dead), and the town doesn't appreciate his revenge-fueled
return. Everything seems stacked against him.

An oddity among westerns, 'Vengeance' is hard to compare to any
other western I've seen. I was pleasantly surprised by the opening, a
modern day setting as a census taker (James MacArthur) prepares to leave Coldiron, stopping at a bar and talking to the bartender (Arthur O'Connell)
about the town's history. He discovers the story of Jonas' return is
the stuff of legend, living on for years to come. For a B-western shot
on the cheap on a lightning-quick schedule, it seemed like a genuinely
unique story opener. It sets the stage for some sort of surprise and
epicness (yes, I make up words) to come. What could have happened almost
100 years before in a tiny, quiet Texas town that still resonates with
its citizens? Oh, and what would a B-western be without a ballad theme? Give it a listen HERE.

And that's where the problem is. What follows is not epic, doesn't
feature much in the way of surprises, and ends up being disappointingly
flat in the end. I'll give credit where it's due. 'Vengeance' doesn't
take the easy way out, focusing on character development instead of
relying solely on shoot outs and gunfights. It is different in a way
that I can't quite put my finger on, and that's not necessarily a good
thing. The acting tends to be a little on the exaggerated side, the tone
is incredibly dark, and there's a general feel of Gothic -- maybe
Shakespearean -- undertones. On a more straightforward note, it's stupid
at times. Not writing to his wife for 11 years, what did Jonas think
was going to happen? She'd be waiting at the doorstep for him? It comes
across as partially lazy in the storytelling department, a plot device
necessary to move things along without making much sense. Aren't those
the best?

Typecast to a certain point as Lucas McCain, Connors spent much of the
rest of his career trying to play different roles, and this definitely
qualifies. Probably a little too old for the part, this isn't his best
acting job. He's rocking an unrecognizable accent, and generally is
required to look pissed off at everyone around him. As for the rest of
the cast, while there is some impressive name recognition, the
performances don't amount to much. Rennie looks bored as Durham, Akins
could have been legitimately drunk playing his part, and Bixby looks
confused, but more on that later. Hays as the "love interest" just
doesn't have much in the way of chemistry with Connors although to be
fair, their parts consist of a handful of scenes of screaming at each
other. Former Rifleman co-star Paul Fix has a small part too as Hanley, an old saddle tramp who helps Jonah in a cool connection to their successful run on TV.

Mostly with a whole lot of name recognition, the cast is wasted. Along with all those previously mentioned, there are parts for Joan Blondell as a drunken owner of a whorehouse, Gloria Grahame as a married woman cheating on her husband with Bixby, Frank Gorshin (Batman's The Riddler) as a lovelorn, drunken cowboy, and Gary Merrill
as Dub Stokes, Jonah's tough-love stepfather. None of these parts are
essential to the story, but even in their out of left field qualities,
they disappear as quickly as they appear with no rhyme or reason. Cameos
are one thing, pointlessly wasted cameos are another. As for the
acting, it's laughable at times. A drunken Akins always talks to Whiskey
Man, his imaginary friend he drinks with, and Bixby loses his mind when
confronted by Jonas. Literally the guys goes nuts with no hints,
foreshadowing or warning. He brands himself and runs into the woods
laughing hysterically. It's Gothic on steroids, like nothing I've seen
in a western.

It all comes to a head with that final resolution....sort of. It's a
weak ending in general although a knock-down, brutal fight between
Connors and Akins is surprisingly realistic with a minimum use of stunt
doubles (watch it HERE). The resolution is built up as this event that made a lasting
impression on this town, an event that's still talked about 75-plus
years later. Really? That's what made such an impression? I was
disappointed with the ending in this off-the-wall B-western that
basically wastes a good cast and at least some potential.